RDS Drilling Rig Design and Engineering Specialists

RDS is a leading international rig engineering specialist for the global oil and gas industry. A subsidiary of KCA Deutag, one of the world’s largest international drilling and engineering contractors, its core business is to deliver a comprehensive service at every stage of rig design, construction and modification.

With more than 1,000 engineering and project support professionals and global offices in Aberdeen, Baku, Bergen, Houston and London, as well as project teams is Canada and Sakhalin, RDS is well-positioned to deliver projects anywhere in the world.

RDS differentiates itself by focusing on meeting client’s requirements, the quality of its people and its extensive experience across all phases of rig design and engineering.

Experience in all rig requirements, in all environments and drilling conditions

Proven project control systems.

Engineering design for new-build rigs

RDS’s primary focus is large, harsh environment platform drilling rigs and drilling packages for mobile drilling units. The RDS group is responsible for the engineering and design of new builds and provides deep technical expertise across all aspects of new rig projects, covering the full range of drilling facilities and engineering services.

These include the delivery of concept development and screening studies for greenfield facilities, front-end engineering design, detailed engineering and procurement management.

Rig reactivation and modification

RDS’s rig reactivation and modification service covers a wide range of work, from minor piping reconfiguration to complete rig reactivation. The company can assist oil and gas operators and rig owners throughout an entire brownfield project, from conceptual engineering through to detailed design and construction support. By using cost-effective, high-quality engineering centres, RDS offers a unique and accountable brownfield drilling facility and engineering service.

Conceptual engineering and consultancy for rig sites

RDS provides an enhanced focus on the earliest phase of major projects through a group specialised in the delivery of high-quality drilling facilities and operations consultancy services. Its conceptual engineering and consultancy group has an extensive hands-on operations background, which allows RDS to make solid recommendations based on actual rig site experiences.

Drilling rig construction and commissioning support

RDS assists clients in the construction and commissioning of drilling rigs. Its approach is to assemble a support team looking after the drilling package and working in an integrated manner alongside the shipyard or topsides contractor.

Extensive experience in platform drilling facilities

RDS has been in business since built a substantial portfolio of projects in all its specialist areas. Over the last 35 years, RDS has delivered a significant number of conceptual and front-end studies.

Many of these have led to detailed design and construction; RDS has carried out more than 60 platform drilling facility projects since 1975, including Hebron and Hibernia (Canada); the six drilling rigs for the Azeri Field (Azerbaijan); Ringhorn, Valhall DP, Oseberg B and Kvitebjørn (Norway); Mariner, Clair Ridge, Dunlin, Gannet, Kittiwake, Magnus, Nelson and Alwyn (UK) and Benguela Belize (Angola).

The company’s expertise also covers the drilling facilities design on more than 24 mobile offshore Drilling Units (MODUs) including, Saipem 10000, SeaDragon, Pride Brazil and a significant number of brownfield engineering modifications.

RDS has the expertise and ISO:9001-certified processes to effectively manage all engineering and project execution stages. RDS follows a ‘wells-up’ approach using the best possible technical and commercial solutions, incorporating drilling operational requirements, well intervention and workover needs from the outset.

This allows RDS to offer a service that begins at the conceptual engineering stage and goes right through to commissioning and start-up of drilling operations. RDS is able to provide a comprehensive service that safely delivers a fit-for-purpose drilling rig.

RDS believes its people are its greatest asset. Bringing together a highly skilled team with technical expertise and knowledge in all aspects of drilling facilities, design and construction is core to the company’s success.

Rig design and engineering specialist RDS has been awarded a contract by Wood Group Mustang to carry out pre-front-end-engineering-design (FEED) work on Statoil's proposed Snorre C tension leg platform (TLP) in the North Sea.